January is nearly gone and the deadline for Bread Baking Day is near. Jenni from The gingered whisk would like to have a bread fashion show this month. And this is not an easy topic for me. I struggled hard this month to find a good idea how to decorated my bread. Because most of the time I choose soberly some straight slashes when I bake bread. I was near to give up and wait for the next BBD!

But the weather this weekend changed from snow to rain then to rain and snow to freezing rain and back again and forced me to stay indoors. A good time to snuggle myself in a blanket and do some surfing in the web in search for inspiration. Finally my creativity was awakened and a plan was formed.

As basic for the decoration – and we want a good basic, of course – I decided to make a light wheat bread with some additional rye, sourdough and Pâte fermentée for a more complex taste.

When forming the dough I decided to have a plan B in case that the decoration did not work out as planed. And so I formed a Tabatière with half of the dough, dusted it with flour and slashed it wit curved slashes before baking. For the bread with the decoration I formed the bread similar to a Auvergnat. I just cut the thin dough layer which tops the loaf not as circle but as a ring. And in the middle of the ring I placed the leaves and the rose I made with dough. To form the rose I kneaded some dough with extra flour until the dough was not sticky anymore. To save the rose from burning, I froze it while the bread proofed.

The form of the bread as Tabatière or Auvergnat is perfect for this kind of decorations, because during the oven spring the bread will crack mainly along the formed seams, so that the decorative slashes will open only a little bit, and the dough decoration will stay in place.

I’m happy with my “rose”-loaf, I think for a first trial it worked pretty well. But to be honest, I like the more simple bread with its curved slashes more. I’m more the lover of simple beauty, I think.

Wheat Rye Bread

Pâte fermentée

150g flour Type 550

105g Water

2g Salt

1g fresh yeast

Sourdough

50g Water

50g flour Type 550

5g Sourdough

Dough

Sourdough

Pâte fermentée

100g rye, freshly milled

700g flour Type 550

500g Water

10g diastaltic Malt (optional)

20g Salt

10g fresh yeast

Mix water, flour and starter for the sourdough and ferment for about 12 -16 hours at 25°C.

Mix all ingredients for the Pâte fermentée and proof it for 1 hour at room temperature. Then put the dough into the fridge for 12 hours.

The next morning knead all ingredients 5 min at the slowest speed and 8 min at higher speed until medium gluten development.

Let rise for 1.5 hours

Divide the dough into two parts. For the Tabatière form the dough into a ball then flatten one third with a rolling pin. Fold the flat part over the ball. For the “Rose”-Auvergnat cut from this dough portion two parts of 60g and 150g. Form the remaining dough to a ball and roll the 150g piece to a disc, a little bit bigger then the diameter of the ball. Cut out a circle with a diameter of 7 cm in the middle of the disc to form a ring. Lay the ring on the ball. Form a rose (see Video here) and freeze it during the bread proofs. Form some leaves with the remaining dough

Proof for 1 hour, heat the baking stone at 250°C in the meantime.

Prior to baking, dust the Tabatière with flour and slash with long, flat curves. For the “Rose”-Bread wet the middle of the ring with a little bit water and decorated with the leaves and the rose. Place the breads in the oven with steam. Turn the temperature back to 200°C after 10 min and bake the bread for another 45 min .

I sent this entry to Yeastspotting, Susans weekly showcase of yeast baked good.